done.  He knew that Mr. Pultzer owned the newspaper, and he knew that it must be something important that Mr. Jennings wanted to write him about.  He wasn’t long left in the dark, and he felt very proud that Mr. Jennings should have confidence enough in him to tell him about his plans.  “I think you have discovered something which will prove very important to the paper and the public,” he said to Archie.  “We have suspected for a long time that gambling dens have been flourishing in Coney Island, but up to now we have not been able to locate any of them.  Now that you have found one, we hope to arouse public opinion to the danger there is in such places, and we hope to inspire a reform movement which will be strong enough to wipe them out entirely.  I will hear from Mr. Pultzer in a short time, and then I want you to go down to the Island with some plain-clothes detectives and two other reporters.  And I don’t mind telling you now that there will be a good sum in it for you if you succeed in arresting any of the leaders of this gang.  You can be excused for an hour now, if there’s anything you want to do.”

Full of enthusiasm over the coming adventure and his part in it, Archie hurried out to a quick-lunch counter and bought himself a light meal, for he feared that he would have to remain at Coney Island through the evening.  Then, when he had finished, he returned to the newspaper office, where he spent some time in getting acquainted with some of the reporters who were working on the Morning Enterprise.  He found them all very pleasant to meet, and he learned a great many helpful things from their conversation.  The older men were able to give him many pointers concerning things that he should, and should not, do.  While he was in the office of the Morning Enterprise Mr. Jennings came in, and, taking him along into the private room of the managing editor, introduced him to Mr. Van Bunting, who was the editorial head of the morning edition.  Then Mr. Jennings told of the new scheme, and Mr. Van Bunting entered into it so thoroughly that before an hour three detectives, two reporters, and Archie were on their way to the Island.

Once arrived in the resort, which was as noisy and bright as in the afternoon, they all made a bee-line for the gambling den, headed by Archie, who surprised the others with his certainty and confidence as to which was the right direction.  In a very few minutes they all stood in front of the dilapidated structure built out over tide-water, and Archie heard one of the detectives say that the place looked “mighty suspicious like.”  He gave three knocks just as the dark man had done in the afternoon, and in a few minutes the door was cautiously opened and a head made its appearance.  The detectives lost no time in pushing their way in, amid great confusion and cries of fear, and it seemed only a few seconds until all the inmates were huddled in a corner, covered with pistols, and wailing in fear, when they weren’t